A few weeks ago I contacted the three front runners for the 54th Assembly District race, Republican Gabriella Holt and Democrats Bonnie Lowenthal and Tonia Reyes Uranga, asking if they would be willing to participate in an “e-Interview”. If they agreed to participate I would send them all the same questions and ask them to complete their answers and return to me for posting on the Long Beach Post. All three agreed to participate and I sent out the questions below last Tuesday, March 25th with instructions to complete and return to me by Friday, March 28th. I received responses from Holt and Lowenthal. Reyes Uranga did not respond with answers, or to emails from me, or a phone call to her campaign office.
A very scientific coin flip witnessed by my wife Leslie determined that tomorrow we will post candidate Bonnie Lowenthal’s responses and on Wednesday candidate Gabriella Holt’s responses. Their responses will be posted unedited with the exception of formatting for space and font.
Here are the questions that were given to the candidates:
1) Biographical information:
a. Name as it appears on ballot
b. Party affiliation
c. Age
d. Current occupation
e. Elected office currently held
f. Degree(s)
g. City of residence
2) Why are you running to be the representative of the 54th District?
3) What is the role of the State government as opposed to the roles of local (city/county) and federal governments?
4) If Betty Karnette was not being forced out of office because of term limits would you have entered the race and run against her?
5) What specific strengths would you bring to the Assembly that your opponents do not appear to possess?
6) How would the city of Long Beach specifically benefit by electing you to the State Assembly?
7) What would be your top legislative priority as a freshman member of the Assembly?
8) What specific cost cutting measures would you propose to provide solutions to our mounting budget deficit?
9) What is the bigger obstacle to a balanced budget in California, too little revenue or too much spending; please choose one option and explain why.
10) What do you consider your most important endorsement and why?
Please answer the following questions with just a “yes” or a “no”, please note that only “yes” and “no” answers will be printed to these questions without any explanations you may give so please confine your answer to “yes” or “no”:
1) Do you support the proposal to have retired judges sit as an independent panel to redistrict the state for the State Legislature and Congressional Districts? Yes No
2) Recently, a California judge ruled that parents who home school their children must be credentialed. Do you agree with this decision? Yes No
3) Do you support same sex marriage being legal in the State of California? Yes No
4) Do you support the State of California issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens? Yes No
5) Do you support proposal currently in the Legislature to eliminate the state income tax deduction for interest paid on a primary residence? Yes No
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this E-Interview and allowing the readers of the Long Beach Post to know you position on some important issues.
Your thoughts welcome, click here to email me or on “Leave A Comment” below for public response.
